It was with great sadness that MIC learned of the death of lecturer and colleague Dr Tony Langlois, who passed away suddenly on Saturday 12 October. Tony was a dedicated lecturer in the Department of Media & Communication Studies and a beloved member of the MIC community.
Leading the many heartfelt tributes to Tony was Dr Rosemary Day, Head of Department in Media & Communications, who said:
‘‘We are devastated by the loss of our dear colleague and best friend, Dr Tony Langlois. Tony’s life ended suddenly and leaves his wife, children, grandchildren and many, many friends from all walks of life stunned at his loss.
Tony was a true scholar and a fine academic. His work in Ethnomusicology; Film Studies; Journalism; Sociology and so many other areas of the wide-ranging discipline of Media Studies will live on in his many books and articles but especially in the minds and memories of his students.
Continuing she said “Tony was a superb teacher, inspiring generations of students to be creative, to enquire, to reach further and to do better. He was a gifted musician and an unusual one, and he leaves many compositions for screen and of an experimental nature behind him. He pushed boundaries and challenged himself and others to be creative and he was always ready to help people achieve their dreams. He leaves a great legacy behind him and his loss will be hard to bear. Ní raibh agus ní bheidh a leithéad ann.’’
Tony, who joined MIC as a lecturer in Media & Communications in 2001, was instrumental in the development of the students’ community radio station, Wired FM, a joint partnership between MIC and TUS. He was also involved in the co-ordination and direction of the national research centre for audio studies, ARC.
His interest and passion for music, sound and vision brought him to the centre of artistic communities winning him countless friends over the years. He was the founder of two successful festivals - 13th Parish (Jersey International Film Festival) and IndieCork (independent film and music festival) which just completed its 11th season on Sunday having taken place in October 6-13.
The festival acknowledged Tony’s immense contributions to both the festival and the culture of Cork city as a whole, saying:
‘IndieCork was all Tony’s idea – his passion and vision brought the festival into being. He programmed the music side of the festival, delighting in showcasing new music and sound art talent. He was the grist of our mill, the brightest galaxy in the night sky, the best of us.’
Paying tribute to Tony, Professor Niamh Hourigan, Acting President of MIC said: “It is with great sadness that we learned of Tony’s untimely death on Saturday. The high esteem in which he was held in, by both colleagues and students, is evident in the outpouring of grief across the campus this week. Tony will be remembered as an esteemed educator, an engaged collaborator, a talented artist and a passionate supporter of emerging and independent artists. On behalf of the MIC community, I offer my heartfelt sympathies to his wife Úna, children Aislinn and Pascal and grandchildren Arlo, Auryn and Senan. Go raibh suaimhneas síoraí air”
Tony will be reposing at O’Connor Bros. Funeral Home, North Gate Bridge, on Tuesday 15 October, from 6pm to 7pm. Humanist funeral at 1pm on Wednesday 16 October at The Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy.
Streaming live on www.islandcrematorium.ie/services.
